


The Two of Us

by darkgirl11



Category: Code Lyoko
Genre: Arguments, Awkwardness, Character Death, Conversations, Crying, Deep Conversations, Developing Friendships, Dialogue, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fights, Friendship/Love, Love on XANA's part, M/M, Mild Swearing, Misunderstandings, Odd is a good guy, Odd is sneaky, Odd is too pure, Odd just wants Ulrich to hear him out, Odd wants to give XANA a chance, Oddrich, Other, Relationship Trouble, Sneaking Around, Sneaking Out, Struggling with Emotions, Teamwork, Ulrich just wants to protect Odd, Ulrich sucks with emotions, Ulrich x Odd, UxO, Wakes & Funerals, XANA and Odd friendship, XANA develops the ability to have feelings, XANA falls in love with Odd, XANA grows soft, XANA is learning and adapting, XANA kidnaps Odd, XANA saves Odd, XANA tries to be a good guy, XANA tries to be funny, XANA's monsters turn on him, confused XANA, danger prone Odd, established Ulrich and Odd relationship, not overbearing dialogue, one sided XANA x Odd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27908338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkgirl11/pseuds/darkgirl11
Summary: XANA seemed to want everyone dead… everyone except Odd.
Relationships: Jeremie Belpois & Odd Della Robbia & Yumi Ishiyama & Aelita Schaeffer & Ulrich Stern, Odd Della Robbia & Ulrich Stern, Odd Della Robbia/Ulrich Stern, X.A.N.A. & Odd Della Robbia, one sided X.A.N.A./Odd Della Robbia
Comments: 8
Kudos: 22





	The Two of Us

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my 10th Code Lyoko story and I'm super excited about that! I honestly don't know where this crackhead idea came from but I kind of liked making XANA a low key good guy by the end of the story. I really wanted to have this story show how kindhearted Odd was. Out of all the Lyoko warriors he seems like he would be the most likely to want to give XANA a chance. It was also super cool to have XANA low key open up to someone and give him a bit of a moment to express himself and his thought process. I also changed Odd's eye color to hazel with a caramel center just because I feel like he would look so much more interesting with greenish brown eyes.
> 
> Some songs that inspired me while writing: “Hate Me Too” by Emily Burns, “Angel With a Shotgun” by The Cab, “Two of Us” by Louis Tomlinson, & "All I've Ever Known" by The Hadestown Broadway Cast (thank you to my favorite human, Masterodontochelys, for introducing me to this song!)
> 
> Thank you all for tuning in for another one of my stories! I'll be around making edits, as always! I hope you enjoy! :)

It was safe to say that XANA hated the Lyoko warriors with a burning passion of a thousand suns. XANA didn’t like that little acrobatic geisha girl one bit so he made sure he constantly targeted her. He didn’t like that blonde computer geek either. He was such a nuisance. Oh, but he hated that samurai even more. XANA wanted nothing more than to take that sword and stab that brunette like he stabbed all the monsters. But, that pinkette was the absolute bane of his existence. She foiled his plans over and over and he couldn’t stand it. It was safe to say that XANA wanted all of the Lyoko warriors dead.

Well, _almost_ all of them.

There was one of them that had peeked his interest over the course of their encounters. It was that purple cat. That little Neko was someone that intrigued XANA for reasons that he didn’t understand. He had a high pitched voice that was nearly supersonic but the more XANA heard it the more he realized it was an endearing sound. XANA was almost eager to hear that voice yelling, “laser arrow” in Lyoko. Those words were his calling card. They were how XANA knew he was there.

XANA had come to learn that his name was Odd. XANA would watch him through the logo of his monsters. He would go out of his way to make sure Odd was devirtualized last, just so he could have more time to look at him. There was something about this Neko that made XANA act so out of character. XANA was a program. He didn’t feel, but Odd was stirring something within him. Odd was making him adapt so that he could learn to have feelings.

XANA would watch the blonde as he moved with the agility of a cat and he had the flexibility of an Olympic gymnast. XANA thought it was humorous how he once believed that the geisha girl was the most acrobatic, but it was actually Odd. XANA couldn’t stop watching when he saw Odd embrace his cat-like persona by running on all fours. He was captivated by that tail that seemed to move around as if it was mimicking Odd’s emotions.

Odd was an angel and that contrasted with XANA, who considered himself to be a demon. Angels and demons were never meant to touch one another. XANA knew this, but he couldn’t help but want to taint the Lyoko warrior for reasons he could not understand. Odd was someone who was so close but also far enough that he was just out of XANA’s reach. He was close enough to touch but XANA knew he couldn’t have him.

“Laser arrow!”

XANA shifted his view from one of the hornets to another so he could have a better look at Odd. The blonde was running on all fours in a zig zag pattern to avoid the lasers that were being fired at him. XANA was furious when one of the hornets was successful in hitting the purple cat. Odd cried out in pain and slid on to his side, crashing into a tree. Odd gasped as he looked up and saw a hornet buzzing over him, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

“Impact!”

XANA absolutely _hated_ that samurai. XANA watched as the samurai destroyed the hornet. XANA was a proud being, but he wasn’t too proud to be thankful for the samurai for protecting the Neko. XANA didn’t understand why it bothered him so much when the samurai picked Odd off the ground, causing the purple cat to smile and blush at him. XANA couldn’t stand the samurai taking Odd’s attention away from him. He had to eliminate the samurai.

Odd saw the hornet about to fire at the brunette. He quickly shoved the samurai out of the way and took the hit for him. Odd hissed in pain as he was launched at the tree. His back made contact with the tree and the sound echoed throughout the forest sector. Odd slid to the trunk of the tree and held his chest, as if he was struggling to catch his breath.

“Odd!”

“N-No! Ulrich, look out!”

So, that was the samurai’s name? Ulrich. What a stupid name. XANA made the remaining hornets target Ulrich. The brunette was going to pay for what happened to Odd. If he had just stood there and let XANA attack him then Odd would’ve never been hurt. Odd made an attempt to get back up but the pain in his chest forced him to stay down. He looked up just in time to see Ulrich get devirtualized.

Odd’s eyes widened in fear when one of the hornets started to approach him. He tried to back away but he was met with the trunk of the tree. He raised his hand to fire a laser arrow but the pain in his chest refused to be ignored. He winced at the pain and waited for the hornet to devirtualize him. He was completely at the hornet’s mercy.

He closed his eyes and braced himself for impact when he saw the hornet warming itself up to shoot. He heard the sound of the laser going off, but he heard an explosion instead. He quickly opened his eyes and sat there breathless at the sight before him. It appeared that one of the hornets moved in front of him so that it took the attack. Odd hissed in pain as he crawled over to the broken hornet.

The pieces of the hornet on the ground didn’t instantly disappear like they usually would. Instead, this hornet was able to move so that it could fire at the last monster. Odd shielded himself from the flying hornet debris by holding an arm in front of his face. When he removed his arm he could see Aelita running into the tower while Yumi was hunched over trying to catch her breath.

Odd looked down at the broken hornet, not knowing he was looking right at a hornet that was being controlled directly by XANA. The program was at a loss for words when he saw the blonde lean in to stare at him. XANA was finally able to see that Odd had hazel eyes with the most beautiful tint of caramel near the pupil. Odd tiled his head in confusion as he whispered to the hornet.

“Y-You… you saved me… why did you do that?”

_I wish I knew…_

* * *

“I’m telling you guys, that hornet saved me!”

“Oh yeah, Odd? Then why didn’t it save me?”

“Maybe it didn’t like you.”

Ulrich rolled his eyes at his lover’s quick response. No one believed Odd when he tried to tell his friends that the hornet went out of its way to protect him. Odd crossed his arms, wincing when he still felt the pain in his chest. Ulrich noticed how Odd was in pain. He turned to Jeremie with a serious look in his eyes.

“We need to do a return to the past.”

“Alright, return to the past now.”

Ulrich thought that the return to the past would ease Odd’s pain, which it did, but the blonde still had his arms crossed. The two lovers were in their room just like they were the day before but something still felt off. Odd was leaning against his closet. His face looked blank but Ulrich could tell that he was lost in his thoughts. There was something that was bothering Odd.

The brunette moved towards his lover and was about to touch him when he saw those hazel eyes flash to look at him. Odd stepped away from Ulrich to avoid his touch. Ulrich furrowed his brow, clearly confused at the situation that was unfolding. He took a deep breath to make sure he had his temper under control.

He tried his best not to sound irritated as he questioned, “Odd, what’s going on? What’s bothering you? If it’s something I did then can you just tell me what I did? If it’s about what happened on Lyoko, can’t you just drop it?”

“Just drop it?”

Ulrich knew he fucked up when he heard the tone in Odd’s voice. He let out a long sigh as Odd ranted, “How am I supposed to just drop how one of XANA’s monsters sacrificed itself for me and then shot the last monster standing so it couldn’t attack me? You’re trying to tell me that none of that sounds weird to you? None of that sounds just the least bit suspicious to you?”

“You’re not going to drop this, are you?”

“No, and I’m not sleeping in your bed tonight, either.”

“Oh, Odd, come on-“

“If this doesn’t mean anything to you then…”

Odd froze, as if he didn’t want to finish what he was about to say. He swallowed the lump in his throat before continuing softly, “This means something to me. Sure, it could end up being nothing in the end but what if it’s not nothing? What if something’s going on with XANA? This means something to me so it should mean something to you… just a little.”

Ulrich let out another sigh before he shook his head. He walked over to his lover and was successful in pulling him in for an embrace. Odd reluctantly returned the hug and eventually melted into it. Ulrich turned and kissed the top of his lover’s head, nuzzling into those blonde locks.

“You’re right, okay? You’re right.”

“You should know I’m always right.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

They went to bed wrapped in each other’s arms, but Odd couldn’t fall asleep as easily this time. He stayed awake for most of the night, wondering if he was overthinking everything. He couldn’t shake the feeling that XANA was up to something or maybe there was something wrong with the program. Either way, Odd decided he was going to get to the bottom of this, with or without his friends’ help.

The next day had started out completely normal, until the warriors got out of class and heard that the furnace for the school had exploded out of nowhere. Each of the friends looked at each other and nodded. They were in silent agreement that this was XANA’s doing so they raced off to the factory.

Odd was struggling to hide the excitement that was bubbling within him. He knew that this would be a chance for him to make sure he wasn’t imagining it when he thought XANA protected him. Everyone was taken back by the energy Odd was displaying when they saw him dashing into a pod and impatiently waiting to be transferred to Lyoko. No one knew what was going on in Odd’s head.

And that was dangerous.

As soon as Odd’s feet hit the ground in Lyoko he looked around and noticed he was in the mountain sector. He gasped when he saw the tower in the distance and then took off running towards it. He knew that there had to be monsters guarding the tower. If he could be alone with those monsters and try to talk to them then maybe he could get some answers. He got down on all fours and ran like a cat, knowing he would gain more distance between his friends if he did that.

He was grinning when he saw that there were two tarantulas and three blocks guarding the tower. He slid to a stop and pushed himself back on two feet. He waved at the monsters as he called, “Hey, XANA! I don’t have much time before the others come so I need to ask you a question!”

The silence that hung in the air felt so long, as if an hour had passed by. It was right when Odd thought that he got it all wrong that one of the tarantulas crawled forward. The blocks moved out of the way so that the tarantula could approach Odd. The tarantula was standing in front of the blonde, staring down at him.

“Are you… are you XANA?”

The tarantula nodded.

Odd’s eyes widened and he let out a squeal of joy, which felt strange to do when he thought about it. He was happy to see XANA. He was happy to see the one thing that had turned his life into a living death trap. He wouldn’t say that he was overjoyed to see XANA but he was happy that XANA was willing to hear him out.

The blonde stepped closer to the tarantula, showing XANA that he wasn’t afraid. Odd stared up at the monster as he spoke firmly, “The other day when we were in the forest sector one of your hornets took a hit for me and then killed another one of your monsters for me. I saw it happen so I need to know… why did you save me? Why would you do that for me?”

XANA didn’t make any movements. He couldn’t believe that Odd was standing right in front of him, all alone. Odd had went out of his way to seek him out. This boy had left his friends so that he could just have one moment alone with him. XANA was supposed to be a being that could not feel, so he didn’t understand how he felt something. He couldn’t understand why he felt happy that Odd came to him.

Odd threw caution into the wind as he launched himself at the tarantula’s left arm. He latched onto it as he cried, “I’m not crazy! I saw what you did for me! I don’t understand why you would protect me so just tell me why you did it! We’re running out of time so just-“

“Odd! Hold on, we’re coming!”

The blonde looked over his shoulder and noticed that his friends had caught up to him. His breath hitched when he saw Ulrich throw his sword at the tarantula, successfully hitting it in center of the XANA logo. Odd cried out as the monster started to fall off the side of the mountain, throwing him off as they both descended.

The Neko reached out and dug his claws in the side of the mountain. He looked down and saw the tarantula fall into the digital sea. He tried to climb back up but his right paw dug into a weak part of the mountain. He lost his grip and was now dangling by his left paw. He was trying to calm himself down but the more he looked down at the digital sea, the more he started freaking out.

He felt tears prick at his eyes when he saw that his paw was starting to slip down the mountain. Odd was hoping that someone was coming to save him but he figured his friends were too busy fighting XANA’s monsters to get to him. He looked up at his paw and saw that he didn’t have much time left until he lost his grip. He screamed as he felt his claws come loose, sending him falling towards the digital sea.

It was right when he closed his eyes that he felt something grab him. He peeked with one eye and then opened both eyes. He was at a loss for words when he saw that the remaining tarantula had reached down and awkwardly grabbed him with its two stick-like arms. Odd slowly moved his hands so he was holding onto the arms of the monster to support himself.

Odd smiled when he felt himself being lifted up. He was gently placed on the ground and released from the monster’s grip. Odd didn’t even look back at his friends. He was more concerned with the monster that had saved his life. He stepped forward and hugged one of the arms of the tarantula. He looked up at the monster with big puppy dog-like hazel eyes and smiled.

“Don’t think you’re out of the woods, yet, XANA.”

* * *

XANA didn’t strike for a week.

XANA wasn’t doing it for Odd, he was doing it because he didn’t understand what Odd was doing to him. When XANA first met Odd, he would’ve let him fall off that mountain. He would’ve watched as the blonde met his death in the digital sea. But, lately XANA found he couldn’t allow that to happen. He found that he could let any of the Lyoko warriors die, but not Odd.

XANA spent days trying to figure out if Jeremie had put a bug in his coding somehow. He was trying to find a virus in his system but every scan showed there was nothing wrong with him. There was not a single error in his entire programming, which only led to XANA questioning himself even more. If there was nothing wrong with his programming, then what was wrong with him?

He had no issue attacking the Lyoko warriors but he was struggling to bring himself to make his monsters hurt Odd. XANA hated a lot of things, but he hated the sound of Odd screaming when he was in pain or when he was in trouble. Odd’s screams didn’t give XANA pleasure like the other Lyoko warriors’ screams did. He didn’t take pride in the pain Odd felt.

XANA hated to admit it, but he was terrified when he saw Odd fall from the tarantula’s leg. XANA had never felt fear before but he felt it when he saw that purple cat get sent off the mountain. He thought it was all over when Odd left his field of vision. The tarantula he was controlling was destroyed by that damn sword Ulrich threw at him so he had to transfer his consciousness to another monster.

When he couldn’t hear Odd screaming anymore he thought he lost him. He thought that he was never going to see that purple Neko in Lyoko ever again. He thought he was never going to see that smile that shined brighter than any light he had seen in Lyoko. He thought he was never going to stare into those hazel orbs again. He thought he would never get the chance to answer Odd’s questions. He would never tell Odd that he was developing feelings for him.

He had transferred his consciousness into the other tarantula while the Lyoko warriors were kept busy by the three blocks. He hustled to the side of the mountain and peered over to see if, by some chance, Odd was there. XANA had never felt such relief when he saw Odd hanging on the side of the mountain by a paw.

There was such terror in those hazel eyes as he stared down at the digital sea. It was like his life was flashing before his eyes. It was like he wasn’t ready to die, and XANA couldn’t let him die. XANA launched the tarantula’s awkward stick arms down just as Odd’s grip on the mountain was lost. XANA fought with himself to contain his excitement when he grabbed the small male.

He loved the feeling of Odd placing his paws on the tarantula’s arms when he brought him back up. It was like Odd wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest. He carefully placed Odd on the ground, feeling more relaxed now that he knew the blonde was safe. He wasn’t ready for the blonde to hug one of his arms, nor was he ready for the beautiful smile that etched itself on his face as he looked at him.

“Don’t think you’re out of the woods, yet, XANA.”

XANA needed some time to himself after that. He found that he didn’t like how he had stopped himself from seeing Odd, but he needed to figure out what was wrong with him. He wouldn’t have cared if Odd fell off a mountain when he first met him but over time, something changed. Something changed within XANA that made him yearn for the small blonde.

He found that he didn’t like going a single day without hearing that high pitched voice or seeing that beautiful face. These thoughts scared XANA. He decided to hack into computers around the world to try to understand what was wrong with him. XANA didn’t want to believe the results. He didn’t want to believe what had happened to him.

He was in love with Odd.

XANA refused to believe that he had fallen in love, especially with a Lyoko warrior. He refused to believe that he had fallen in love with his enemy. He refused to believe that Odd meant something more to him. He refused to believe that he didn’t let Odd die all those times because he loved him. He refused to believe that he couldn’t live without Odd.

As much as XANA refused to believe all of that, he knew deep down that it was true. He had fallen in love with a Lyoko warrior. He had fallen in love with his enemy. He knew that Odd meant something more to him. He knew that he didn’t let Odd die all those times because he loved him. He was so painfully aware that he couldn’t live without Odd.

He was well aware that Odd was different from the other Lyoko warriors, and maybe that’s what drew him to the blonde. Odd was far more kindhearted than the rest of his friends. He had such a carefree and positive outlook on the world that it made XANA want to be a little more like him. Odd was a skilled warrior, no doubt, but XANA was more attracted to his personality.

Odd was drop dead beautiful, XANA could not ignore that. Yet, he was drawn to who Odd was on the inside. He was captivated by the boy who could look at a terrible person and see the good in them. Odd was someone that XANA desperately wished he could be like. Odd was pure, while XANA knew he was tainted.

XANA had come to the conclusion that the only way he was going to get alone time with Odd was if he stole him from the Lyoko warriors. So, he staged an attack on Earth. He decided that he was going to drain Kadic of its water supply and then move towards draining the city’s water, as well. He needed to get the Lyoko warrior’s attention so they would bring Odd to him.

XANA sent his creepers to sector five to surround the Lyoko warriors. The warriors thought that Aelita was the one the creepers were after so they pushed her into the center of their defense circle. Ulrich and Yumi were standing in front while Odd was in the rear. XANA had to appreciate their defensive circle for Aelita, but she wasn’t the one he wanted.

He sent two creepers after Odd. The blonde was able to eliminate one of them but the remaining creeper lunged forward and grabbed him by the leg. Odd crashed to the ground and clawed at the ground as he felt himself being dragged off to the side. He was screaming for his friends as he was pulled off the platform. When the friends rushed to the side to see if they could grab Odd, but it was too late.

Odd was gone.

Odd was still struggling against the creeper as he was taken into a part of Lyoko that he was unfamiliar with. It looked just like the arena that they would be dropped off in to get into sector five, except it was a much darker blue color. He felt the creeper release his leg. His breath hitched, this was his moment to attack his captor. He swung his legs and got into a crouching position, aiming his hand at the creeper in case it was going to attack him.

The creeper just stood there staring back at the blonde. No one moved, no one spoke, no one did anything. Odd glared at the creeper as he stated skeptically, “I don’t know where I am but you must have brought me here for a reason. How do I know you won’t shoot me the moment I put my arm down, huh?”

His eyes widened in awe when he saw the creeper’s mouth gun devirtualize. Slowly, Odd lowered his arm and sat down on the ground. He crossed his legs and stared up at the creeper. He had a feeling he wasn’t talking to a creeper. This had to be someone else. He cocked an eyebrow at the monster.

“XANA? Is that you?”

The creeper nodded.

“Well, it looks like you’ve finally got me alone!”

Odd was giggling as he said that, which would’ve melted XANA’s heart if he had one. Any of the other Lyoko warriors wouldn’t have hesitated to destroy the creeper when they were released, but Odd didn’t. Any of the other Lyoko warriors would’ve been trying to attack him right now, but Odd wanted to talk to him. Odd was here, smiling and laughing, when anyone else would’ve been terrified or would've tried to kill him.

XANA didn’t even know what to say to him now that he had him all alone. He had thought about what it would be like to have Odd all alone but now that it was here, he was at a loss for words. He was hoping that having a creeper stare at Odd for this long wouldn’t make the situation awkward, but Odd continued to smile at him.

Odd tiled his head as he looked up at the creeper. He smiled as he said, “I’ve been thinking, XANA. I thought it was strange that you would want to protect me. I was starting to let my friends convince me that it was just my imagination playing tricks on me, but then you saved me from falling into the digital sea. That’s when I knew this wasn’t something I made up. I knew you were protecting me… but, I don’t understand why you’re doing this… why me?”

The blonde chuckled to himself as he thought of something. He kept that smile on his face as he continued, “I’m not even sure if you can talk to me but I really just need to know why you’re so interested in me all of a sudden. If you wanted me dead then you would’ve let me fall into the digital sea. So, why didn’t you let me die?”

XANA wasn’t sure if he should break his silence. He wasn’t sure if it was wise to speak to the blonde. This was his enemy, after all. He had never spoken to one of them before. He had never tried to engage in conversation with anyone before. He didn’t want to reveal his voice, but he would do it for Odd. He would do anything for Odd.

_“You were not meant to die.”_

Odd’s jaw dropped when he heard XANA’s voice emitting from the creeper. He quickly stumbled to his feet and walked over to the creeper. He grabbed the creeper’s top and bottom lip and forced its mouth open. Odd practically shoved his head inside the creeper’s mouth, trying to make sure he wasn’t hearing things. XANA thought Odd’s behavior was absolutely adorable.

_“Yes, it is I. XANA_.”

“Wow! This is so cool!”

_“You’re easily amused, aren’t you?”_

“I’m a cat in Lyoko! I’m supposed to be curious!”

_“Curiosity kills the cat, you know.”_

“Touché, XANA!”

XANA could not understand why Odd was now laughing. The blonde removed his hands from the creeper so that he could hold his stomach as he continued to laugh. The creeper tilted its head, as if it was trying to show that it was confused.

When Odd finished laughing, he realized the creeper was watching him. The blonde smiled back at XANA as he said, “Oh, I’m not in any pain! Sometimes when people laugh really hard it gets a little harder to breathe because we’re not consistently breathing! I love to laugh!”

_“I love your laugh_.”

Odd immediately stopped smiling. XANA never meant to say those words out loud. He thought he was just thinking them to himself, but he made the creeper talk, instead. XANA wished he could take those words back. He wished he never said them because he couldn’t tell if Odd was mad at him or if he was disgusted with him. He didn’t know if Odd would resent him more than he already probably did for being a program in love with a human.

“You… you really mean that?”

Odd’s eyes were wide. His eyes held this look in them that was hopeful, but he also looked like he was on the brink of crying. His voice sounded like he didn’t believe XANA for a second. His voice sounded broken, as if he didn’t trust that XANA was telling the truth. It made XANA believe that not many people had told Odd that his laugh was lovely.

_“I do.”_

XANA didn’t falter, nor did he stutter with his answer. A smile slowly started to reappear on Odd’s face. Odd avoided the creeper’s gaze as he whispered, “Normally, people tell me that my laugh sounds like a hyena. In case you don't know, a hyena is an animal that communicates with a high pitch sound… which, I guess sounds like my laugh. It’s… it’s not a compliment.”

_“Would it make you happy if I terminated them?”_

“Wh-what?”

_“Would you be happy if I killed those who hurt you?”_

“No! Oh, God, no, please don’t kill anyone for me.”

But then, it clicked. Odd froze for a moment as he thought it over. He nodded to himself before shifting his attention to XANA, “You would kill someone who made fun of my laugh? You would kill someone for me if you knew it would make me happy?”

_“I would. Without hesitation_.”

“Why do you want to make me happy?”

Odd moved away from the creeper and was now pacing around the room. He was trying to piece everything together as he stated, “You save my life two times, you drag me off here to talk to me one on one, you love my laugh, and you would kill someone if you knew it would make me happy. So, why are you so interested in me?”

The blonde paused when he saw the creeper slither towards him. XANA looked down at him as he answered, _“You interest me far more than any other being in Lyoko. I wanted you dead when I first saw you. I wanted you to stay out of my way so that I could fulfill my destiny and take over your world. But, as time passed I found myself rather intrigued by you. You are the definition of “danger prone,” but there is no being I want more on Lyoko than you.”_

“Y-You… you want me?”

_“Not for the devious reasons you must be thinking of.”_

“So, you _don’t_ want to use me against my friends?”

_“Correct.”_

“What do you want with me, then?”

The creeper remained silent. Odd walked back over to the monster. He smiled as he reached up and caressed the monster’s cheek. XANA felt himself growing weak under the other male’s touch. He couldn’t believe that Odd would dare to touch a monster. He couldn’t believe that an angel would dare to touch a demon.

Odd knew XANA could feel the return to the past coming, too. They didn’t have much time left together but Odd was starting to figure out why XANA was after him. He might not perform well academically but Odd was smart when it came to reading people, and he could read XANA even if he was taking the form of a creeper. Odd closed his eyes and smiled at XANA.

“You know I hate you… but, I hate me, too.”

_“Odd…”_

* * *

Odd opened his eyes and he was back at Kadic, leaving a class hand in hand with Ulrich. It wasn’t until they got back to their shared room that Ulrich wrapped his arms around his waist. The blonde buried his face in his lover’s neck, inhaling his scent and letting it wash over him. He was happy to be back with Ulrich, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he was getting that wanted to go back to Lyoko to see XANA.

When they pulled away, Ulrich led him to his bed. They sat down and that’s when the barrage of questions from Ulrich came, “What happened to you when that creeper dragged you off? Jeremie couldn’t find you! We thought that you got devirtualized but you weren’t back in the factory! What happened to you, Odd? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No, no, I’m fine, Ulrich."

“Then, what happened?”

“You… you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“What? Odd, of course I would.”

Odd didn’t believe him for a second. Ulrich didn’t believe him before so he didn’t trust his lover to believe him now. Odd couldn’t look at the brunette as he said, “Okay, well, I was dragged off to some place that looked like the arena. It turns out that the creeper that took me was actually XANA. He was controlling the creeper. He wanted to get me alone.”

Ulrich’s eyes would’ve popped out of his head, if they could. The brunette went from being shocked to being angry as he hissed, “I knew I should’ve went after you! I told Jeremie that I should’ve followed but he wanted to make sure Aelita could get to the tower. He’s got no issue feeding you to XANA if it means Aelita’s safe! I can’t believe him!”

“Ulrich, stop! XANA didn’t hurt me!”

“He didn’t implant a virus in you?”

The blonde shook his head, which helped Ulrich to breathe easy. Odd was struggling to look at Ulrich as he continued, “He didn’t do anything to me. He dragged me off so he wouldn’t be bothered by the rest of you. He wanted me all alone so he… so he could talk to me.”

Odd knew that his lover was skeptical of him. Yet, he left no room for Ulrich to insert himself in the conversation, “I know how crazy that sounds, but it’s true! XANA kidnapped me so he could talk to me! It was actually a really nice conversation, too. You know, I think XANA has a crush on me or something because-“

“Odd! Are you even _listening_ to yourself right now?!”

He took a moment to recollect himself before he shrugged back at Ulrich. The brunette stood up and turned away from his lover. Odd knew that Ulrich was silently trying to calm himself down. He didn’t want to lose his temper but it seemed that it was going to be inevitable.

Ulrich turned around and took a deep breath. He failed to sound calm as he said, “Do you even understand what you’re saying, Odd? You’re telling me that XANA kidnapped you just to talk to you and then you think XANA has a crush on you! You should’ve just devirtualized that creeper when it let you go but, no, you had to try to reason with XANA or something!”

“I knew I shouldn’t have said anything to you.”

Odd’s words sounded cold, but also sad. Ulrich’s eyes widened when he saw Odd cross his arms in front of his chest. He turned his head to the side so he could look at anything but Ulrich. He was trying to look like he was mad but he didn’t fool Ulrich for a second. There was a sad look in his hazel eyes. It was like he realized he couldn’t trust Ulrich anymore. It was like he knew the one person he could talk to about anything had failed him.

Ulrich wanted to apologize, but his anger and his pride refused to let him do that. He was trying to convince himself that he was reacting this way because he was trying to protect Odd from XANA. Odd was someone who was too kind for his own good. Ulrich wouldn’t say that he was naïve, but he was definitely someone who relied more on their heart than their brain in situations.

“I need some time alone.”

“Odd, you don’t have to-“

“I think… I think we need some time apart.”

A heavy silence hung in the air and it felt like it was crushing Ulrich. Odd stood up and started making his way to the door. Just as he was going to grab the door handle he felt Ulrich snatch his wrist and pull him back. Odd felt tears stinging at his eyes as he tried to yank his wrist back. Ulrich’s face was emotionless, but Odd knew he must be a whirling dervish of emotions on the inside.

Odd had no idea how Ulrich could remain so calm on the outside. Odd’s eyes widened when he heard Ulrich’s watery voice, “Please… don’t leave. I’m… I’m scared that if you walk out that door, you won’t come back to me. Please, just stay and we can work this out… just stay, Odd.”

Odd closed his eyes and shook his head. He could feel the tears falling down his cheeks when he opened his eyes. His voice sounded small as he replied, “Ulrich, you’re the one person I thought would be on my side… but, you’re not. I know this is a lot to take in but… I need you to support me and listen to me.”

“Odd, I do that!”

“You haven’t done that!”

The blonde was shaking as he cried to his lover, “You said this meant something to you if it meant something to me but you overreact every time I say something! I can’t talk to you about anything! You’re like a ticking time bomb with the way you’re always ready to explode! I feel like everything I do is wrong!”

“I’m not like you, Ulrich!”

Those words caused Ulrich to release his lover from his grip. Odd rubbed his wrist where Ulrich grabbed him as he went on, “I’m not going to be someone who instantly goes in for the kill when I’m kidnapped! Sure, I was ready to kill that creeper but it didn’t want to hurt me! XANA hasn’t been trying to hurt me and I’ve told you this! But… but, you didn’t listen to me!”

“Odd-“  
  


“I’m not stupid.”  
  


Ulrich took a step back in surprise when he heard those words. Odd rubbed the tears away with the back of his sleeve before whimpering, “I’m not stupid. I didn’t kill that creeper because it didn’t hurt me. I didn’t kill it when it revealed it was XANA because I got a feeling that he just wanted to talk. If someone wants to talk then I’ll hear them out, no matter who they are or what they’ve done to me.”

The brunette took a few deep breaths before he walked over to Odd and placed his hands on his shoulders. Ulrich’s voice sounded soft as he said, “I know you’re not like me. I know you want to see the good in everyone, but I’m just trying to tell you that not everyone is good… especially XANA.”

Odd lifted his head so that he was staring into those chocolate orbs. His voice sounded desperate, “But, can’t people change? Can’t people have a change of heart? Even someone like XANA can change, Ulrich.”

“I don’t know, Odd… I don’t know.”

“Just trust me, Ulrich.”

Ulrich felt uneasy, but he didn’t want to lose Odd. He let out a long sigh before nodding to his lover. Odd was beaming when he saw that Ulrich was going along with him on this. The blonde ran into his arms and felt himself melting into his lover’s embrace. Ulrich slowly snaked his arms around Odd’s waist and held him as tight as he could. He didn’t know what was going to happen going forward.

But, he had to trust Odd on this.

* * *

It was later that night that Odd unraveled himself from Ulrich’s arms. He stuffed a pillow under Ulrich’s arms to act as his replacement. Odd tip toed over to his closet and threw on a pair of pants and an oversized purple hoodie. He tossed the hood over his head and looked over his shoulder to see that Ulrich was still asleep hugging the pillow. Odd crept over to the door and sent one last longing look to his lover before he left.

He felt bad that he was sneaking out, but he didn’t expect Ulrich to understand why he was doing this. He ran through the school and slipped into the sewer. He snatched his skateboard and rode off to the ladder at the end of the tunnel. He climbed up the ladder and slipped into the factory, undetected. He jumped into the elevator and rushed to the supercomputer when the doors opened.

Odd hopped into Jeremie’s chair and quickly went to work scheduling a transfer to Lyoko to go off in a minute. He had seen Jeremie do it countless times so he memorized the process, but he always let everyone believe that he was clueless. He smiled when he saw the count down on the screen. He hustled to the ladder behind him and climbed down. He walked into the open pod and closed his eyes as the transference began.

He opened his eyes as he felt himself being virtualized in Lyoko. He dropped to the ground and looked around, noticing that he was in the forest sector. He started to walk along a narrow pathway that led to a large area of green and trees. As he walked over to the large space, he called out into the open.

“Hello? XANA? Can you hear me?”

Odd walked to a tree and leaned his back against it as he waited for something, _anything_. It was right when he thought he was a fool for coming to Lyoko that a tarantula was dropped in front of him. At first, Odd was startled by the sudden intrusion but once he caught his breath he smiled at the monster.

“XANA? Is that you?”

_“It is. Why are you here? Is this a trap?”_

“You had to have known that I’d be back again.”

_“You’re all alone.”_

It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. Odd nodded to the monster and elaborated, “This isn’t a trap. You would’ve been able to sense Jeremie on the computer if it was. You would’ve been able to sense the others, too. But, I’m here all by myself because we seem to keep getting interrupted when we try to have some alone time. You want to talk? Let’s talk!”

Odd flopped down on the ground, using the tree as a back rest. The tarantula awkwardly sat on the ground, causing Odd to laugh at it. Odd’s laugh was echoing throughout the entire sector and XANA found that his laugh was the best sound he had ever heard. Odd was wheezing as he told XANA that the tarantula sat down like it was imitating a dog.

“Anyways, what do you do for fun around here, XANA?”

_“Fun?”_

“Yeah, you know, what do you do to entertain yourself?”

_“Wreak havoc on your world so you show up.”_

Odd couldn’t help but laugh at how serious XANA sounded when he said that. Odd regained his composure as he returned, “You need to do something that doesn’t involve waiting for us to come here! You should totally have a monster brawl! You could have your monsters battle to see who the top monster is! That would be so cool!”

_“You really are easily entertained.”_

There was something about the tone in that statement that sounded like XANA was amused. XANA noticed that Odd had a child-like sense of wonder. He could look at the world with a fresh pair of eyes, despite being around for over a decade. That was something that XANA adored about Odd.

“What were you doing before we came along?”

_“What do you mean?”_

Odd shrugged as he tried to think it through. He shrugged once more before answering, “I guess I want to know what you were doing before the Lyoko warriors came into the picture? You know, like, were you just roaming around Lyoko when we turned the supercomputer on?”

XANA thought about the questions Odd was presenting to him. The tarantula tilted its head as it spoke, _“I had remembered a time when that scientist, Franz Hopper, created Lyoko. I was created to be a security system for Lyoko, a means of protecting it from intruders. I was designed to be a program that adapts. It was when I learned about the heartlessness and evil of the outside world that I sought to destroy it. But, the scientist shut down the computer and thus, I was trapped within it.”_

XANA liked the way he could tell Odd was hanging off of every word he was speaking, _“When I awakened many years later I had forgotten what I was supposed to do. I wandered around Lyoko trying to piece together my mission. Eventually, I remembered my purpose was to destroy Earth and all those inhabiting it in order to save it.”_

“Were you all alone?”

_“I suppose I was.”_

“Do you ever get lonely here in Lyoko?”

XANA never thought about that before. The tarantula lowered its head, as if it was showing it was sad. Odd’s eyes widened as he listened to XANA, _“I suppose I’ve been alone so long that I didn’t even know that I was lonely. All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own here. This is how it’s always been.”_

“You sound sad.”

_“I do not want your pity.”_

Odd shook his head with a smile. He kept that smile on his face as he countered, “I don’t pity you, XANA. You sounded sad when you were talking. You sounded like you don’t like being alone. You’ve got all these monsters here with you to keep you company, but you still feel lonely. That makes me sad.”

The tarantula moved forward and reached an arm out to Odd. The arm moved so that it was gently lifting Odd’s head up by his chin. Odd’s eyes widened as he heard XANA speak, _“All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own, but now I would like to hold you, too. All I know now is that you’re someone I have always known, and I don’t even truly know you… but, now I want to hold you close.”_

“XANA…”

_“I don’t want to ever have to let you go.”_

“Do… do you have feelings for me?”

_“I do not understand them._ ”

Odd carefully moved the tarantula’s arm from under his chin so that he could move closer to the monster. Odd stared up at the monster as he asked quietly, “Do you feel lost when I’m not here? Do you feel sad when I’m hurt? Do you feel like you wish you could be just a little bit like me? Do you feel like you would do anything to keep me safe?”

_“I do.”_

Odd resisted the urge to say that’s how he feels about Ulrich, and how Ulrich must feel about him. Odd resisted to mention Ulrich in case XANA got angry. He didn’t want XANA to specifically target Ulrich because he was jealous that he couldn’t have Odd the same way Ulrich could. He needed to protect Ulrich, so he didn’t say anything about him.

“I… I think you’re in love with me.”

_“I apologize.”_

The blonde’s eyes widened and his breath hitched. He had a confused look on his face as he asked, “Wh-why are you apologizing? Why are you sorry that you love me? Love is a beautiful thing, XANA, and I don’t want you to be sorry for that.”

The tarantula avoided Odd but the blonde wouldn’t allow that. He ran to the side so XANA would have to look at him as he said with a smile, “You told me that you’re constantly adapting, right? So, that means that you’ve learned how to have feelings. Don’t you see how incredible that is? You’re learning! It’s like… it’s like you’re becoming more like me… more human.”

The monster leaned down so that Odd was at eye level with it. Odd’s smile only seemed to get bigger as XANA said softly, _“I… I have always known that I am a program, but you give me hope that I can be more than that.”_

Odd was beaming as he launched himself at the tarantula’s head, hugging it the best he could. He nuzzled the side of his face against the monster as he murmured, “You give me hope that we can be friends. You give me hope that we can work to live together in peace one day.”

_“You embody hope, Odd.”_

* * *

Odd had the same routine for weeks now. He would go to class and spend time with his friends during the day, but he would sneak out to Lyoko during the night to talk to XANA. The only one who knew about him sneaking out was Kiwi, who Odd was able to bribe with biscuits. Odd had become comfortable with his new way of life.

Sure, XANA would continue to attack the Earth but it wasn’t as frequent. This made the Lyoko warriors feel anxious. In their minds, they thought that XANA was taking time off from attacking Earth so that he could build up his army or so he could launch one devastating attack on Earth.

But, Odd knew the truth.

Odd knew that XANA wasn’t attacking as much because they were spending time together each night. Odd and XANA were getting to know each other on such a personal level. Yet, Odd knew that if his friends found out then they would be mad at him. They would think he had betrayed them or that XANA was manipulating him.

Odd found that he enjoyed XANA’s company. Months ago, he would’ve never said that. He would’ve said that he absolutely despised XANA and he would destroy any monster he sent his way. But now that he knew XANA, he couldn’t bring himself to eliminate a single monster when the warriors went to Lyoko. Instead, he would tease the monsters and mess them up so they would fire at each other.

Yet, trouble was brewing in Odd and XANA’s paradise they were trying to create. Odd remembered one night XANA told him that he was losing control over his army of monsters. His monsters were starting to turn on him. His monsters were developing an intelligence of their own. His monsters believed that XANA was growing soft due to this attachment he had to Odd. His monsters were plotting a revolt against their master.

Odd remembered how he met XANA in sector five that night. XANA had possessed a creeper so that he could communicate with the blonde, but he forgot to disarm the monster. Odd was off to the side animatedly telling a story when XANA noticed the creeper was fighting him for control. Odd wasn’t paying attention so he didn’t see how the creeper was warming up for an attack. It was when Odd turned to see if XANA was laughing that his eyes widened in terror.

Odd screamed out in pain as the creeper fired at him, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying at the wall behind him. Odd groaned in pain as he sunk to the floor. He struggled to get on his hands and knees. He looked up and gasped when he saw the creeper in front of him, ready to finish what it had started. There were tears in Odd’s eyes as he cried.

“XANA, help!”

Hearing Odd crying out for him was more than enough motivation to drive the creeper’s consciousness away. The creeper’s weapon died down and then was devirtualized so that it couldn’t harm the blonde again. Odd staggered to his feet and took a step towards the monster, only to see that it had moved backwards.

_“Don’t… don’t take another step in my direction.”_

“XANA-“

_“I… I can’t be trusted around you.”_

Odd was deeply saddened to hear that. He could tell that XANA was struggling with himself. He could tell XANA must be heartbroken inside knowing he had hurt the one person who meant everything to him. As much as Odd wanted to be there to support his friend, he knew that XANA needed some time to himself.

It had been a few days since Odd had went to Lyoko to see XANA. He wanted to give XANA space but he didn’t want XANA thinking that he didn’t want to see him after what happened. He slipped out of Ulrich’s arms and made his way to the factory, just like all those nights before.

He felt nervous as he entered the pod this time. He was worried that XANA wouldn’t want to see him or that XANA had been overpowered by his minions. Either way, he wouldn’t know until he was virtualized. He dropped to the ground, noticing that he had been dropped in the forest sector.

He looked around and couldn’t find anyone in sight. He remembered this area. He walked along a narrow pathway until he was on a large open platform of green and trees. He made his way into the center. He could see that there were four pathways from each side of the platform, which would’ve been the perfect way to overwhelm him if XANA had been overpowered by the army.

Odd could hear a strange whirring noise coming towards him and that’s when he turned around to see a Scyphozoa approaching him. He took one fearful step back. XANA had never came to him in the form of a Scyphozoa before so he was starting to wonder if this was really his friend. He gulped as he slowly made his way towards the monster.

“XANA? Is that you?”

_“You shouldn’t be here, Odd.”_

“Oh, thank God it’s you!”

_“You need to leave. You’re not safe here.”_

It was like XANA could read Odd’s mind. The program answered Odd’s questions, _“You’re not safe here. I am on the verge of losing control of my army and we are their prime target. I am fearful that I will not be able to protect you this time if they come for you now.”_

“If you need a soldier… that’s what I’ll be.”

XANA gasped, but Odd couldn’t hear it. The blonde reloaded his laser arrows on both arms. He continued with a serious look on his face, “You’ve called me an angel before but, I’m an angel with laser arrows. They say before you start a war you better know what you’re fighting for. I know what I’m fighting for… do you?”

XANA was at a loss for words. Here was the boy he adored more than anything saying that he would take on his army for him. There was no chance that Odd would win against the army, but it was the fact that he would die trying that meant the world to him. XANA knew that he would never have Odd.

But, maybe this was enough for him.

Unbeknownst to the duo in Lyoko, Ulrich was stirring awake. He tried to bring Odd close to his chest, but Odd felt weird. He slowly opened his eyes and that’s when he looked down to see he was hugging a pillow. He yawned as he sat up in bed. He took his ear plugs out and looked around the room. When his eyes had adjusted to the lack of lighting he could see that Odd wasn’t in the room.

“Kiwi, do you know where Odd went?”

The small dog woke up from the bottom drawer. He looked at Ulrich, debating if he should betray his master. Yet, Kiwi was a little worried because Odd was usually back by now. Kiwi made the bold move to jump out of the drawer and walk over to the door. He whined and scratched at the door, as if to tell Ulrich that Odd had snuck out.

Ulrich quickly reached for his phone and started calling Odd’s cell. There was no answer. Ulrich cursed under his breath. He dialed his friends one by one and none of them had seen or heard from Odd. They were all starting to worry that something had happened to him. They all agreed to meet up at the factory in case he had been kidnapped and sent to Lyoko.

Everyone was moving as fast as they could. They had no idea where Odd was. They were hoping that he was in Lyoko, but even if he was in Lyoko that didn’t completely put them at ease. They would know his location but they wouldn’t know what XANA could be doing to him in Lyoko.

Jeremie quickly ran to his chair and instantly started searching Lyoko for Odd. His eyes were wide as he exclaimed, “Odd is on Lyoko! He’s in the forest sector and he’s not alone! There’s a Scyphozoa with him! You guys better get in the pods! Odd needs help!”

The three friends moved as fast as their feet could carry them. They all closed their eyes as they felt themselves being transferred to Lyoko. Each of them landed on their feet when the transference was successful. Their eyes widened in shock when they saw Odd facing the Scyphozoa, gazing up at it. They could faintly hear the sound of his voice, as if he was talking to it.

“Odd! Get away from that thing!”

Odd whipped around when he heard his lover’s voice. The Scyphozoa’s tentacles were moving around and Odd could tell that was XANA letting him know he was irritated by the other warriors’ presence. Odd could see Ulrich starting to run towards him. The blonde held up his hands, causing Ulrich to skid to a stop.

“He’s not going to hurt me!”

“Odd, what the hell are you doing?!”

“You have to get out of here!”

XANA reached a tentacle out and wrapped it around Odd’s middle, causing the warriors to shout at the monster to let him go. Odd was placed on top of the Scyphozoa’s clear skull. The blonde got down on all fours to stabilize himself. He could tell that XANA had placed him on his head to make a bold statement: they weren’t getting Odd without a fight.

Ulrich grit his teeth as he unsheathed his sword. Each of the warriors could hear Jeremie’s voice in their ears, “There’s something strange going on with that Scyphozoa. I’ve been running scans on it and it looks like… oh, no! It looks like that Scyphozoa is actually XANA! He’s possessed a Scyphozoa and he’s got Odd!”

Suddenly, there was a loud booming noise and the ground beneath the warriors began to shake. Odd looked down at the Scyphozoa. They knew what that sound was. XANA reached a tentacle up to Odd’s face and gently caressed his cheek. It wasn’t until he had these tentacles that he could feel just how soft his skin was. Odd grabbed the tentacle and gave a sad smile down at the monster. It was a bittersweet moment for them.

_“They’re coming. You should leave.”_

“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet, XANA.”

XANA would’ve laughed if Odd had meant it to be funny. He could tell that Odd was serious and that he had no intention of leaving him behind to fend for himself against an army of his own monsters. Odd squinted his eyes and in the distance he could see monsters coming their way. He turned his head in the opposite direction and saw that they were coming from all angles.

The Lyoko warriors were backing towards Odd and XANA when they saw the monsters coming. Jeremie was in their ears freaking out, “Guys, I’m getting a massive amount of monsters coming towards you! It looks like XANA used Odd as a trap to lure you all here! There’s no way you’re going to be able to beat them!”

“I wish you’d be a little more positive, Jeremie!”

“Okay, I’m _positive_ you won’t beat them, Ulrich!”

Ulrich shook his head at his friend’s comment. Yumi pulled out her fans and Aelita summoned her wings so she could attack from above. The monsters were getting closer and closer until they were finally feet away. They all charged at the monsters, but the creatures ran right past them. The warriors were confused until they saw that the monsters were going straight for the Scyphozoa and Odd.

_“Hang on, we’re about to take a spin.”_

Odd nodded and dug his claws into the Scyphozoa. The warriors watched in awe as the Scyphozoa spun around at high speeds, using its tentacles to swat away enemies from every direction. Once the Scyphozoa knocked the monsters back enough to buy them some time, Odd stood up and started to fire laser arrows at any stragglers.

The Lyoko warriors were at a loss for words as they watched the Scyphozoa grab monsters and lift them up to Odd for him to shoot. It was the strangest thing they had seen in a long time. No one knew what to do, except Ulrich. The brunette’s eyes widened as he reflected on all his previous conversations with Odd. Ulrich raced forward and called to his lover.

“Odd! What do you need us to do?!”

Odd turned to the brunette and beamed at him. This is why Odd loved Ulrich. Odd nodded and started yelling out orders, “I need you guys to try to keep the monsters away from us! Slow them down! XANA and I can handle any that make it past you! Einstein, I need you to work on a way to shut down all the monsters! They’ve turned on XANA and we need to find a way to stop them!”

“Wait, why are we helping XANA...?”

“Because... he’s my friend!”

Silence hung in the air. Odd’s voice was firm as he continued, “You can kick me out of the Lyoko warriors when this is all done if you want, but XANA has changed. He’s learning to love, instead of hate. His monsters have turned on him and they’re going to destroy him… but, XANA deserves a second chance… everyone deserves a second chance.”

They didn’t want to forgive XANA for all that he had done to them. They didn’t want to believe a word Odd had said. Yet, there was evidence that they had witnessed that proved that XANA had changed, at least a little. He had saved Odd on multiple occasions, and even now they saw how he protected the small blonde. Each of the warriors nodded.

“Let’s do this!”

Jeremie’s fingers typed away at the keyboard faster than they had ever moved before. He knew his friends didn’t have much time before their life points were diminished. He felt a bead of sweat slowly falling down his left temple, but he ignored it. He didn’t bother to wipe it away because that would’ve meant that was time spent away from the keyboard. 

Ulrich was using his super speed to rush into the army and cut off limbs of the monsters. This caused the injured creatures to get in the way of other monsters’ paths or to fall off the pathway and into the digital sea below. Ulrich was successful in slowing them down while Aelita was in the skies throwing energy fields. Yumi was on the ground throwing her fans in all directions to try to prevent as many as she could from getting to XANA.

At times, some of the monsters would try to fire at Ulrich but they would end up shooting each other. Some of the monsters were firing lasers into the air to try to bring Aelita down but that would leave them vulnerable to Yumi’s fans. It seemed like they were keeping the monsters at bay but they knew they wouldn’t be able to hold them for much longer. They needed Jeremie to come up with a solution.

Yet, Odd wouldn’t like Jeremie’s solution.

Odd felt like he couldn’t breathe when Jeremie explained the plan, “I’ve figured it out! All of these monsters are still connected to XANA, even though he can’t control them or cut off the connection, himself. I’m sorry, Odd... but, if XANA was to be eliminated then the rest of the monsters would fall.”

“No… no, there has to be another way!”

Odd felt his shoulders shaking, but he refused to cry. He closed his eyes as he heard Jeremie’s persistent voice in his ears, “I’m sorry, Odd, but there is no other way. I’m uploading a laser arrow for you now that can end XANA quickly and painlessly. He won’t feel a thing.”

“I… I can’t kill him… I can’t!”

He heard Aelita cry out in pain and that’s when he opened his eyes to see her falling from the sky. She landed harshly on the ground and rolled a few times. She looked up in time to see a laser coming right at her. She closed her eyes and braced for impact but Yumi was standing in front of her blocking the lasers.

_“Odd, we’re out of time.”_

“No… no, don’t say that.”

XANA used a tentacle to place Odd on the ground. XANA lowered himself to the ground so that the target would be easy for the blonde to hit with his laser arrow. Odd’s entire body was trembling and the tears in his eyes were blurring his vision. The XANA logo was blurry but it was all Odd could see. It was tormenting him at this point.

He felt a tentacle reach forward and touch his cheek, catching the tears that started to stream down. Finally, everyone could hear XANA as he spoke, _“Your friends can’t stop them, but we can. Look at me… you have the power to destroy these monsters. You must do it, Odd.”_

“I can’t… XANA, I can’t.”

Ulrich looked back at the scene every now and then. His heart broke for Odd as he could hear their conversation, _“Yes, you can… you can. If they get to us I won’t be able to stop them. You’ll all die. It’s not fair. It shouldn’t be you, but it is.”_

Odd felt the tentacle move itself under his chin, lifting his head so he was staring at the monster. Everyone could hear the love in XANA’s voice as he said, _“It’s alright. You could never hurt me... I just feel you.”_

XANA removed the tentacle from under the blonde’s chin. Odd slowly reached his left hand over and placed it on top of his right hand, reloading his laser arrows. His arm was shaking as he raised his right hand and aimed for the logo on the Scyphozoa. He had endless tears falling down his face as he stared at the program who had become a friend to him. He felt his heart break as he realized the one thing XANA loved more than anything was going to kill him.

And XANA was okay with that.

Odd could faintly hear his friends screaming in the background as the monsters were closing in on them. He could hear Jeremie in his ears telling him that he had to shoot XANA now or it would be too late. Odd used to think that he would have all the time in the world with XANA, but now he could see that they were always running out of time.

_“I love you, Odd.”_

“I’m sorry…”

He stared right at XANA as he shot the laser arrow directly into the target. Odd was sobbing as he watched the Scyphozoa fall to the ground. He could hear all the other monsters falling and exploding behind him, but he didn’t care. He dropped to his knees and screamed at the top of his lungs. He had killed XANA, but he got no pleasure from it.

Odd’s eyes widened when he looked up to see a shadowy figure standing in front of him. The blonde was breathless when he saw the shadow reach down and place a hand on his cheek, wiping away one of the many tears that fell. He grasped the shadowy hand and squeezed it. He could’ve sworn he saw the shadow smiling at him.

The shadow gradually started to blow away like leaves in the wind. Odd scrambled to his feet and dove forward to hug the shadow before it disappeared. He sobbed into the shadow when he felt two arms wrap around him. He felt lips press against the side of his head.

Odd knew he didn’t have much time left with him. XANA’s voice whispered in his ear one last time, “ _I thought I wanted to take over the world, but it turns out… you were my world. But, in order to save my world… I needed to die. I'm happy it was you. Please, don’t cry for me, Odd.”_

_“Live your life for the two of us.”_

* * *

The wind was blowing through his spiked up hair, gently tousling his blonde locks. The breeze was soft and warm, causing a small smile to etch itself on his face. He could smell the earthy scent of the trees and freshly cut grass. It was a rather peaceful setting. It was a peaceful day to hold the ceremony.

Odd stood in front of the arrangement of rocks that he had formed in a circle with an X in the center. There were freshly picked flowers resting in front of the rocks. They didn’t have a body to bury, which gave Odd a sense of peace but it was not enough. He intertwined his fingers and held his hands in front of his chest.

His friends were standing behind him with somber expressions on their faces. They dreamed of the day they could eliminate XANA, but this wasn’t how they pictured it. They thought they would be happy. They thought that they would throw a party. They didn’t think that in their wildest dreams that they would be holding a funeral for XANA.

They knew Odd needed this.

They didn’t quite understand it, but he had developed a friendship with XANA. They had noticed that XANA went out of his way to protect Odd but they never expected that to evolve into such a deep connection. Ulrich sighed, realizing that Odd must have been sneaking out each night to spend time with XANA. He wasn’t mad about it. He knew that Odd needed someone who could listen to him and understand him. It felt strange when he thought about it, but he was thankful for XANA.

The wind was blowing from behind Odd, moving his hair and clothes forward. The blonde had silent tears pouring down his face as he whispered, “You’ll never know how much I miss you. I wish that I didn’t have to be the one to take your life, but… I know you wouldn’t have wanted it to be anyone else.”

He choked back a sob. He didn’t want to cry like that today. He had a sad smile on his face as he said, “I found a friend in you... in the most unlikely of places. I'm so grateful for the memories we made together. I will never be able to thank you enough for everything you have done for me. Even as you passed, you were still protecting me… my enemy turned hero.”

The wind stopped blowing, finally allowing the friends to be able to hear Odd. The blonde bit his bottom lip as he reminisced on all the memories he had made with XANA. He remembered the first time he had saved him. He remembered being dragged off by a creeper, only to have his first actual conversation with XANA.

He recalled all the times XANA let him ride on top of the tarantula like he was a bull rider. He remembered how XANA finally enlightened him and had his monsters brawl to see who the top monster was. Odd quietly chuckled to himself as he remembered how it ended with a tie between the mantas and the megatank. He remembered how he was happy that the creepers didn’t make it to the final two.

His shoulders shook as he remembered how XANA opened up to him about how he had feelings for him. XANA had been so transparent about how madly in love with him he was. Odd had never told XANA that he was in love with Ulrich, and he felt that was for the best. It was for the best that XANA died believing that Odd could potentially love him like that. It was for the best that XANA died with hope.

There was so much sorrow in his usually enthusiastic voice as he finished, “I know that you’ll be looking down at me and I swear, you’ll be living through everything I’ll ever do. I will keep you here with me until the day I die. Just like you said… I’ll live my life for the two of us.”

“Rest in the sweetest peace, my friend.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :) If you're a fan of the Marvel universe you might have been able to catch the Vision & Wanda moment when Odd had to end XANA. Adding that scene from Infinity War to this story really made it more emotional, in my opinion. Anyways, I want to thank you all for going along with this crackhead idea! I hope to be back with another story for Code Lyoko soon! :)
> 
> As always, stay safe my friends! Catch y'all on the flipside!


End file.
